


Hands

by ezazahaz



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fix-It, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Multi, Nightmares, OT3, Pet Names, inspired by the Captain America: Civil War trailer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-25
Updated: 2015-11-25
Packaged: 2018-05-03 07:50:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5282714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ezazahaz/pseuds/ezazahaz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><em>He pushed harder, feeling the suit start to crack under his metal hand, the arc reactor giving way.  Just a bit more force, and it might push through the grafted skin and false sternum that had replaced the device that had once been a part of the man.  This time, instead of saving the man's heart, it would crush it, and he could never hurt Bucky again, never hurt Steve again.</em> </p>
<p>Bucky has a nightmare.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hands

**Author's Note:**

> I've known Civil War was going to give super angsty feels to us Steve/Tony and Steve/Tony/Bucky fans, and the trailer certainly confirmed that. So I wanted some comfort to go with the hurt, and I apparently decided to focus on the like two seconds of Bucky and Tony.

_He pushed harder, feeling the suit start to crack under his metal hand, the arc reactor giving way. Just a bit more force, and it might push through the grafted skin and false sternum that had replaced the device that had once been a part of the man. This time, instead of saving the man's heart, it would crush it, and he could never hurt Bucky again, never hurt Steve again._

"Buck... Please..."

_The voice was right but wrong, not modulated as it should have been coming through the helmet. Bucky stopped pushing for a moment, trying to figure out why it was wrong._

"That's it, sweetheart. Wake up. Please."

_The voice wasn't modulated, that was wrong, but it was pained, which made sense but was still _wrong_. He was the one causing the pain. Because... because..._

"MASTER BARNES, WAKE UP NOW," a different voice boomed.

Bucky gasped, eyes flying open. His hand was pushing down not on metal, but on flesh. He yanked his arm back, rolling himself off the bed and away from its occupant.

"It's okay, sweetheart, you're okay, you're safe." Tony's voice would have been more soothing if Bucky didn't still hear the pain in it, didn't know it was his fault.

Bucky shoved himself into the corner of the room, wrapping his flesh arm around his legs, holding the offending metal one tucked to his own chest, like that would keep it from hurting Tony again.

"J, see if you can get a call through to Steve." As JARVIS confirmed the order, Tony crawled out of bed and toward Bucky, who started breathing faster, his eyes glued to the red imprint still visible on Tony's chest. Thankfully, Tony stopped outside of arm's reach. "Hey, Buck, you with me now?"

Bucky's gaze didn't shift, but he nodded.

"That was a bad one, huh?"

Bucky's throat felt dry and he had to clear it before he could get words out. "I hurt you."

Tony waved a hand dismissively. "I'm fine. Really. This is nothing."

"I... wanted to hurt you," Bucky forced out. "I wanted to..." _Kill you,_ he couldn't bring himself to add.

"In your nightmare? Another Winter Soldier one?"

Bucky shook his head and closed his eyes, but he could still see the red handprint on Tony's pale grafted skin. "Not Winter Soldier. Me."

"Huh. Well, I must've done something to deserve that, huh? Your subconscious still mad at me for stealing the last egg roll last night?"

"You..." Bucky struggled to explain. "You were gonna take me in. To SHIELD or something, because of what I'd done. And Steve was trying to stop you, and then we were both fighting you, and then..." He swallowed. "I wanted to crush your chest in. God, Tony, I wanted to kill you. I would have killed you."

He jerked and opened his eyes as he felt Tony's arm slide up his, but then he shuddered and allowed Tony to pull him close. He pressed his lips to Tony's warm chest, like a kiss could somehow make it all better.

"You wouldn't have," Tony says like it's a fact. "You didn't. And I wouldn't do that either, turn you over for what the Winter Soldier did, you know that, right?"

Bucky nodded, but he couldn't help wondering. Under different circumstances... if Tony thought it was the right thing to do...

JARVIS interrupted his dark contemplation. "Sir, I have Captain Rogers on the line."

"Put him through, J."

"Tony?" Steve's voice came over the speakers. "You okay?"

"I'm fine, other than missing half of my super soldier sandwich. Bucky here is a little rough after a doozy of a nightmare, though."

"Buck?"

"Stevie," Bucky croaked.

"How you doing, sweetheart? What do you need?"

"Need you." If Steve had been there, he would have stopped Bucky sooner. He wouldn't have let him hurt Tony.

"I'm sorry, baby, I'll be back as soon as I can, but I need to wrap up this mission first. Tony'll have to take care of you until I get back, alright?"

"I hurt him."

There was a moment of silence. "Tony?" Steve asked, worry in his voice.

"It's nothing, Steve. Really."

"...Okay." The hesitation suggested that Steve didn't really believe him (understandable) and would probably ask JARVIS for the unbiased truth later, but that he didn't want to force the issue now and make Bucky feel even worse. Then his tone changed. "Damn, I gotta go. You gonna be okay, Buck?"

"Yeah, Stevie. Thanks." Hearing Steve's voice had made him feel a little better.

"I love you both."

"Love you, too," they chorused back.

"See you soon." The call ended.

Tony squeezed Bucky's shoulder. "Think we can get back in bed now? I'm not young enough to do this floor thing for long anymore."

Bucky didn't move. "I can't."

"You're not going to hurt me--" he barely cut himself off before saying _again_.

"I just... can't. Not 'til Steve gets back, anyway. I'll go to a guest room, or--"

"Nope, not happening," Tony interrupted. "I can handcuff you to the bed if that'd make you feel better, but you're sleeping with me. I'm already down one body warmer, I'm not gonna sleep at all if you leave me alone in a big, cold bed."

Bucky smirked. "And you love any excuse to break out the handcuffs."

"Hey, it took time and money to make handcuffs you boys couldn't break, I'm gonna get as much use out of 'em as I can."

They moved back to the bed, and got Bucky's metal wrist handcuffed to the headboard. Sleeping while restrained might give him nightmares of another sort, but at least he'd be less likely to hurt Tony.

Tony curled up against him, not quite managing to hide the wince. But he wrapped himself around Bucky like Bucky was the one who needed to be kept safe. Maybe he was.

Bucky expected to lie awake for a while, but Tony's soft breathing soon lulled him back to sleep. This time, mercifully, he didn't dream.


End file.
